Indian batsmen will get a liberal dose of ‘chin music’ in the second Test at the seamer-friendly Hagley Oval, senior New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner declared on Wednesday.
India struggled to deal with short-pitched deliveries from around the wicket in the first Test in Wellington. “It’s obviously tough for them to come here and play where there is obviously a bit more bounce and pace. Obviously, playing in India where there is not that much bounce and pace around and so it is something new for them to adapt to,” Wagner, who had pulled out of the first Test to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, daughter Olivia, said.
Wagner, just like his coach Gary Stead, believes that Indians will be better equipped after their loss, but he expects the home side to be relentless in its endeavour to compound the agony for the visiting team. “Hopefully, we can keep the squeeze on and bowl the way the boys bowled in Wellington and if we can keep piling the pressure on, we will make the job a lot easier for ourselves,” Wagner said.
Also Read | Why India pacers struggled in Wellington
Wagner admitted India was taking time to get used to these conditions. “Sometimes when you tour overseas, it takes a match or two to get used to the conditions and adapt from there. No doubt they will be better and they will come back stronger. Definitely we look forward to do what we do best in our conditions and keep fighting the way we did,” he said.
Wagner was all praise for the towering Kyle Jamieson, who had a dream Test debut in his absence in Wellington. Wagner also justified his break.
“If [my daughter] was going to be born early, hopefully on Monday, I would have definitely been there with the team but so be it. She wanted to try and stay a little bit longer and yeah, give her dad a little bit of a hard time,” the happy father grinned from ear to ear.
“It’s one of those things but I wouldn’t change it for anything else in the world.”
Comments
SHARE